Mumbai's civic body, BMC is yet to deposit an amount of Rs 254 crore with the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra as per the environmental clearance granted to it by MoEFCC for the coastal road project.

Mumbai: India's richest civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to deposit a sum of Rs 254 crore as per the terms of the environmental clearance (EC) granted to it for the construction of a coastal road along Mumbai's west coast. The EC was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in May of 2017.

At the time of granting the EC, an expert appraisal committee had instructed the civic body to deposit the stipulated amount with the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra before commencing construction. In turn, the BMC assured the committee that it would comply with the prerequisites listed in the EC and inaugurated the proposed eight-lane coastal road in December 2018.

(Work on a jetty for the coastal road project underway despite protests from fisherfolk of the Juhu Koliwada community)

However, the civic body is yet to deposit Rs 254 crore, which is 2 per cent of the total cost of the project pegged at Rs 12,721 crore. Speaking to Hindustan Times, executive director of the Mangrove foundation of Maharashtra and additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell, N Vasudevan confirmed that the funds have not been transferred as of yet.

While Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta refused to comment on the issue, Mohan Machiwala who is the chief engineer of the coastal road project confirmed that the condition to deposit Rs 254 crore is binding on the BMC and appropriate action will be taken at the earliest to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, marine biologists have argued that construction of the project will lead to large scale sedimentation and high turbidity resulting in the destruction of marine life along the Konkan coast.

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BMC fails to deposit Rs 254 crore as per environmental clearance for coastal road projectDescription:Mumbai's civic body, BMC is yet to deposit an amount of Rs 254 crore with the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra as per the environmental clearance granted to it by MoEFCC for the coastal road project.Times Now